Receiver

ABSTRACT

A receiver employing an OFDM system which uses a frequency band that is constituted by a plurality of subchannels, and receiving a signal added a phase rotation which is made to respectively differ for each transmission antennas of transmitter and transmitted from the transmission antennas, having a virtual subchannel quality estimating portion which estimates the quality of a propagation path in the case of same phase rotation is added to signal transmitted from transmitter, each group configured with a plurality of consecutive subcarriers.

This application is a Divisional of co-pending application Ser. No.12/091,430 filed on Apr. 24, 2008, which is a National Phase ofPCT/JP2006/321563 filed on Oct. 27, 2006, and for which priority isclaimed under 35 U.S.C. § 120; and these applications claim priority ofApplication No. JP2005-314429 filed in Japan on Oct. 28, 2005 under 35U.S.C. § 119; the entire contents of all are hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a receiver employing an orthogonalfrequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system which uses a frequencyband that is constituted by a plurality of subchannels.

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-314429,filed Oct. 28, 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, multi-carrier transmission has been proposed that usescyclic delay transmit (CDT) diversity that simultaneously performstransmission from a transmitter that is provided with a plurality oftransmission antennas while adding a (cyclic) delay that differs foreach transmission antenna (Non-patent document 1). When using thisdiversity method, since the frequency selectivity of channels can alwaysbe strongly achieved, excellent average bit error rate (BER) performancecan be obtained.

Also, there is proposed, in Evolved UTRA and UTRAN of the 3rd GenerationPartnership Project, a method of obtaining a superior average BER byadopting the aforementioned CDT diversity in a method called softcombining that can obtain a site diversity effect. In the softcombining, base stations, which are transmitters provided with aplurality of sectors, transmits signals using the same frequency andsame time from transmitting antennas that belong to each sectorparticularly to the same receiver that is positioned near the sectoredge so that a combined wave is received by the receiver side(Non-patent document 2).

FIG. 16 is a schematic drawing that shows the appearance of signalsbeing transmitted from transmitting antennas 1 a, 1 b that are providedon transmitters belonging to two different sectors to a receivingantenna 2 a that is provided on a receiver. As shown in the drawing,signals s1, s2 are respectively transmitted from the transmittingantenna 1 a and the transmitting antenna 1 b, and a combined wave isreceived by the receiving antenna 2 a.

FIG. 17A shows a delay profile h1 that is time-domain representation ofthe propagation path between the transmitting antenna 1 a (FIG. 16) andthe receiving antenna 2 a (FIG. 16). FIG. 17B shows a delay profile h2that is time-domain representation of the propagation path between thetransmitting antenna 1 b (FIG. 16) and the receiving antenna 2 a (FIG.16). In FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B, the horizontal axis denotes time and thevertical axis denotes electrical power.

The signals s11 and s12 in FIG. 17A are signals s1 that are transmittedfrom the transmitting antenna 1 a, and represent signals that havereached the receiving antenna 2 a by passing along two differentpropagation paths. Also, the signals s21, s22, s23 are signals s2 thatare transmitted from the transmitting antenna 1 b, and represent signalsthat have reached the receiving antenna 2 a by passing along threedifferent propagation paths.

In the case where the signals s2 transmitted from the transmittingantenna 1 b are signals generated by delaying the signals s1 transmittedfrom the transmitting antenna 1 a, that is, in the case of adopting theCDT diversity between the transmitting antenna 1 a and the transmittingantenna 1 b, the transmitting signals can be regarded as having reachedthe receiving antenna 2 a (FIG. 16) by passing through a propagationpath that is a combination of the delay profiles h1 and h2, as shown inFIG. 18. However, the time domain t1 of FIG. 18 corresponds to the delayprofile h1 (FIG. 17A), and the time domain t2 corresponds to the delayprofile h2 (FIG. 17B).

By contrast, by multiplying an orthogonal code that is unique to eachsector by a subcarrier for propagation path estimation between therespective sectors in which transmitters are placed, while transmittingthe subcarriers for propagation path estimation using the same frequencyand same time, the subcarriers for propagation path estimation from eachsector are separated on the receiver side, and so propagation pathestimation is individually performed (Non-patent documents 3 and 4).

FIG. 19A shows the constitution of a signal s1 that is transmitted fromthe transmitting antenna 1 a (FIG. 16). The signal s1 is constitutedfrom a region r1 and a region r2. In region r1 is disposed a symbol forpropagation path estimation that is a known symbol, and in region r4 isdisposed a common data channel that is a data symbol.

Also, FIG. 19B shows the constitution of a signal s2 that is transmittedfrom the transmitting antenna 1 b (FIG. 16). The signal s2 isconstituted from a region r3 and a region r4. In region r1 is disposed asymbol for propagation path estimation, and in region r4 is disposed acommon data channel.

The symbols for propagation path estimation that are included in theregions r1 and r3 are used to obtain the propagation path informationthat is required for demodulating the data that is contained in theregions r2 and r4.

FIG. 20 is a configuration drawing of the signal s3 that is transmittedfrom three transmitters that belong to different sectors to a receiver.The signal s3 is constituted from sub-carriers sc1 to sc12. Thesub-carriers sc1 to sc4, sc5 to sc8, and sc9 to sc12 are respectivelyincluded in the frequency ranges f1, f2, f3. The signals s31 to s33represent signals that are transmitted from transmitters that aredisposed in sectors #1 to #3. Orthogonal codes C1 (1, 1, 1, 1), C2 (1,−1, 1, −1), and C3 (1, 1, −1, −1) are respectively multiplied by thesignals s31 to s33.

In the frequency range f1, the signal s31 that is transmitted from thetransmitter that is arranged in sector #1 is included in the additionresult, but the signals s32, s32 from the transmitters respectivelyarranged in sectors #2 and #3 become 0. It is therefore possible toseparate each signal even by performing transmission of the signals s31to s33 using the same frequency and the same time. This situation isreferred to as “the orthogonality being maintained”.

By contrast, in the case of applying the CDT diversity to thetransmitting antennas that are arranged in the sectors #1 to #3, it isnecessary to obtain the propagation path information from the symbolsfor propagation path estimation that are included in regions r1, r3(FIGS. 19A, 19B) in order to demodulate the regions r2, r4 (FIG. 19A,FIG. 19B) in the above manner. To this end, the signals that aretransmitted from the transmitting antennas are normally added with thesame delay to the regions r3, r4.

However, in the case of applying the CDT diversity to the transmittingantennas between sectors, since the orthogonality between orthogonalcodes is lost, when attempting to separate and estimate the propagationpaths between the transmitting antenna and receiving antennas of eachsector using the symbols for propagation path estimation, there is therisk of an error occurring in the propagation path estimation result.

FIG. 21 is a drawing that shows the constitution of the transmissionsignal s4 in the case of the delay profiles h1=h2=1 in FIG. 17A and FIG.17B, that is, a delay wave not existing and even in relation to adirectly arriving wave, there is no change in the phase rotation andamplitude. The signal s4 is constituted from sub-carriers sc1 to sc12.The signals s41, s42 represent signals that are transmitted fromtransmitters respectively arranged in sectors #1 and #2. The code C4 (1,1, 1, 1) is multiplied by the signals s41, 42.

Here, a description shall be given for the case of multi-carriertransmission being performed, and a delay of half of the symbol beingadded by the phase rotation described below between the transmissionantennas 1 a, 1 b of FIG. 16. Also, diversity by the soft combiningmethod shall be described for the case of being used between thetransmitting antenna 1 a and the transmitting antenna 1 b. Here, for thetime being only the signals transmitted from the transmitting antenna 1a and the transmitting antenna 1 b shall be considered. Here, the softcombining method is a method of suppressing the interference componentwhile increasing the signal component of the receiver by transmittingthe same signal that is generated from the same data at the same timingfrom transmitters arranged in two sectors to the same receiver.

At this time, in the transmitted signals that are transmitted from thetransmitting antenna 1 a (FIG. 16), the phase rotation of the followingEquation (1) is multiplied by the kth subcarrier.

θ=2πkT/N=2πk·N/2·1/N=kπ  (1)

At this time, the signal from the transmitting antenna 1 a (FIG. 16)becomes as shown in FIG. 21, and so enters a state in which theorthogonality with the transmitted signal from the transmitting antenna1 a (FIG. 16) is lost.

Note that N in the abovementioned Equation (1) denotes the number ofpoints of the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) during multi-carriermodulation, and T denotes the delay point difference (delay timedifference) between two transmitting antennas.

Furthermore, non-patent document 5 discloses a transmission method thatinvolves transmitting with a format that retains the orthogonalitybetween sectors adding a delay (rotation) only to the data portion evenin the case of performing soft combining of signals for sectorpropagation path estimation. Also, it discloses that the delay amountcan be informed from the base station to the transmitter.

As shown in non-patent document 5, this technology is premised onreceiving the subcarrier for propagation path estimation that has notbeen delay processed by the receiver, utilizing the orthogonality toestimate the propagation path from each transmitter, and, based on thedelay amount that is notified from the base station, estimating thepropagation path during soft combining.

According to this method, since the orthogonality of the preambleportion is maintained, it is possible to accurately measure the strengthof radio waves from the respective base stations, and it is possible toobtain the effect of soft combining.

Non-patent document 1: “Application of Cyclic Delay Transmit Diversityto DS-CDMA using Frequency-domain Equalization”, IEICE Technical Report,RCS2004-392, March 2005.

Non-patent document 2: 3GPP, RI-050795, “Intra-Node B Macro Diversitybased on Cyclic Delay Transmissions”, [Sep. 7, 2005 search], Internet(URL: ftp://ftp.3gpp.org/TSG_RAN/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_(—)42/Docs/R1-050795.zip)

Non-patent document 3: 3GPP, RI-050704, “Orthogonal Common Pilot Channeland Scrambling Code in Evolved UTRA Downlink”, [Sep. 7, 2005 search],Internet (URL:ftp://ftp.3gpp.org/TSG_RAN/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_(—)42/Docs/R1-050704.zip)

Non-patent document 4: 3GPP, RI-050700, “Intra-Node B Macro DiversityUsing Simultaneous Transmission with Soft-combining in Evolved UTRADownlink”, [Sep. 7, 2005 search], Internet (URL:ftp://ftp.3gpp.org/TSG_RAN/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_(—)42/Docs/R1-050700.zip)

Non-patent document 5: 3GPP, RI-051046, “Further Details on AdaptiveCyclic Delay Diversity Scheme”, [Sep. 7, 2005 search], Internet (URL:ftp://ftp.3gpp.org/TSG_RAN/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_(—)42bis/Docs/R1-051046.zip)

However, in the case of using the method disclosed in non-patentdocument 5, during soft combining, it is necessary to estimate thepropagation path of the data portion by performing processing in thereceiver different from during data receiving. Also, in a system thatadaptively changes the delay amount, it is necessary to notify thereceiver of the delay amount.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was achieved in view of the above circumstances,and has as its object to provide a receiver that is capable ofrequesting an optimum subchannel.

The receiver of the present invention was achieved to resolve theaforementioned issues, and is a receiver employing an OFDM system whichuses a frequency band that is constituted by a plurality of subchannels,and receiving a signal added a phase rotation which is made torespectively differ for each transmission antennas of transmitter andtransmitted from the transmission antennas, having a virtual subchannelquality estimating portion which estimates the quality of a propagationpath in the case of same phase rotation is added to signal transmittedfrom transmitter, each group configured with a plurality of consecutivesubcarriers.

The virtual subchannel quality estimating portion of the receiver of thepresent invention estimates the quality of the propagation path withrespect to each the subchannel.

The transmitter of the present invention is a transmitter employing anOFDM system having a phase rotating portion which gives a same phaserotation amount to each group configured with a plurality of consecutivesubcarriers modulated by data or a known signal, and a rotation amountdetermining portion which sets a phase rotation for each antenna set oreach transmitter.

The transmitter of the present invention is a transmitter employing anOFDMA system which uses a frequency band that is constituted by aplurality of subchannels having a phase rotating portion which gives asame phase rotation amount to each group configured with a plurality ofconsecutive subcarriers modulated by data or a known signal in a portionor all of the subchannels, a rotation amount determining portion whichsets a phase rotation for each antenna set or each transmitter, and ascheduling portion which sorts a data to a subchannel and determines anexistence of the phase rotation.

The transmitter of the present invention includes in the groups asubcarrier modulated by a known signal for estimating a propagationpath.

The transmitter of the present invention makes a number of subcarriersincluded in the group is same in all frequency bands.

The phase rotating portion of the transmitter of the present inventionmakes a difference of the phase rotation amount given to each groupbetween adjacent groups being constant.

The phase rotating portion of the transmitter of the present inventiontakes one of the groups as a reference group and determines an absolutevalue of the phase rotation amount of that the reference group based ona state of a receiver.

The phase rotating portion of the transmitter of the present inventionmakes a difference of phase rotation amounts between groups being aunique value in each transmitter.

The transmitter of the present invention in which subcarrier modulationwhich needs an orthogonal relationship between subcarriers generatingthe group is performed.

The orthogonal relationship of the transmitter of the present inventionis an orthogonal relationship of a subcarrier for propagation pathestimation.

A communication system of the present invention is a communicationsystem that performs communication between the transmitter and areceiver employing an OFDM system, in which the receiver includes an FFTportion which performs frequency conversion by an FFT on received OFDMsymbol in which known symbol is contained, a propagation path estimatingportion which estimates with respect to a plurality of transmittingantennas a propagation path that is the frequency response with atransmitting antenna in units of subcarrier for propagation pathestimation that maintains orthogonality on the transmitter side, aquality estimating portion which estimates a quality of radio wave withrespect to each transmitting antenna, and a quality calculating portionwhich calculates a quality of combined propagation path in case ofproviding a predetermined phase rotation to a subcarrier of the OFDMsymbol that is transmitted from each transmitting antenna from thefrequency response of each transmitting antenna.

A transmission method of the present invention is a transmission methodemploying an OFDM system, including the steps of, giving a same phaserotation amount to each group configured with a plurality of consecutivesubcarriers modulated by a data symbol or a known symbol, determiningthe phase rotation amount for each antenna set or each transmitter, andtransmitting signal added with the phase rotation in addition tomodulation.

A transmission method of the present invention is a transmission methodemploying an OFDMA system, including the steps of, giving a same phaserotation amount to each group configured with a plurality of consecutivesubcarriers modulated by a data symbol or a known symbol, determiningthe phase rotation amount for each antenna set or each transmitter,determining an existence of a phase rotation, and transmitting signaladded with the existence of the phase rotation to the modulation and thephase rotation.

The transmission method of the present invention a criterion forgrouping is an orthogonality of the subcarrier.

The orthogonality in the transmission method of the present invention isthe orthogonality of the subcarrier for propagation path estimation.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is possible to request the optimum subchannel from the receiver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an outline view in the case of a transmitter and a receiverperforming communication.

FIG. 1B is a drawing that shows the constitution of a signal s5 that istransmitted from the transmitter 3 a.

FIG. 1C is a drawing that shows the constitution of a signal s6 that istransmitted from the transmitter 3 b.

FIG. 2A is a drawing that shows the constitution of an OFDM signal s7that is transmitted from the transmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A).

FIG. 2B is a drawing that shows the constitution of an OFDM signal s8that is transmitted from the transmitter 3 b (FIG. 1A).

FIG. 3 is a drawing that shows the relation between the orthogonal codethat is allocated in the present embodiment and the subcarriers.

FIG. 4 is a block view that shows the constitution of the transmitteraccording to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an outline view of a rotation portion 14-1 (FIG. 4) accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block view that shows the constitution of the receiveraccording to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an outline view of the propagation path estimating portion 37according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an outline view of the reverse spreading portion 40-1 (FIG. 7)according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a drawing that shows the constitution of the subcarrier forpropagation path estimation according to the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 is a block view that shows the constitution of the transmitteraccording to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an outline view of a rotation portion 14-1 (FIG. 10)according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a drawing that shows the frame constitution of a signal thatis used in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block view that shows the constitution of the transmitteraccording to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14A is a drawing that shows a propagation path of the transmitter 3a (FIG. 1A.

FIG. 14B is a drawing that shows a propagation path of the transmitter 3b (FIG. 1A.

FIG. 14C is drawing that shows a pseudo propagation path in the case ofsending the same data from the transmitters 3 a, 3 b (FIG. 1A).

FIG. 15 is a block view that shows the constitution of the receiveraccording to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a conceptual view that shows the appearance of signals beingtransmitted from transmitting antennas 1 a, 1 b that are provided ontransmitters belonging to two different sectors to a receiving antenna 2a that is provided on a receiver.

FIG. 17A shows a delay profile h1 that is time-domain representation ofthe propagation path between the transmitting antenna 1 a (FIG. 16) andthe receiving antenna 2 a (FIG. 16).

FIG. 17B shows a delay profile h2 that is time-domain representation ofthe propagation path between the transmitting antenna 1 b (FIG. 16) andthe receiving antenna 2 a (FIG. 16).

FIG. 18 is a drawing that shows the signal that is received by thereceiving antenna 2 a.

FIG. 19A shows the constitution of a signal s1 that is transmitted fromthe transmitting antenna 1 a (FIG. 16).

FIG. 19B shows the constitution of a signal s2 that is transmitted fromthe transmitting antenna 1 b (FIG. 16).

FIG. 20 is a configuration drawing of the signal s3 that is transmittedfrom transmitters to a receiver.

FIG. 21 is a drawing that shows the constitution of the transmissionsignal s4 in the case of the delay profiles h1=h2=1.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinbelow, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the attached drawings. Note that the numeric values used inthe embodiments of the present invention e.g. the numbers of frequencysubchannels are merely examples.

In the first to third embodiments of the present invention, anorthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system shall bedescribed assuming that the number of frequency subchannels is 12, thenumber of subcarriers is 768, and the number of FFT points is 1,024.Also, the frequency subchannel that realizes the path diversity differsfor every frame. That is, the description is given for the cases ofwhether or not to perform soft combining for each frequency subchannelor the delay amount being independently determined for each frequencysubchannel, but is not limited thereto.

First Embodiment

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described first.The present embodiment shows an example using two differing transmittersthat use OFDMA and performing communication with some receivers. FIG. 1Ais a schematic diagram of the case of transmitters communicating withreceivers. During the time that the OFDMA frame that is the object ofthe description being transmitted, the receivers 4 a to 4 c performcommunication with the transmitter 3 a. Also, the receivers 4 b to 4 eperform communication with the transmitter 3 b. That is, the receivers 4b and 4 c combine and receive the same signals from both transmitters 3a and 3 b by soft combining.

FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C are drawings that show the constitution of thesignals s5 and s6 that are transmitted from the transmitters 3 a and 3b. In these drawings, the vertical axis represents frequency while thehorizontal axis represents time. Here, the drawings show the case of thesignals s5 and s6 each being constituted from 12 subchannels sch1 tosch12.

Here, as one example, the case of transmitting a signal from thetransmitter 3 a to the receiver 4 b using the subchannel sch1 as shownin FIG. 1B will be described. Also, a signal is transmitted from thetransmitter 3 a to the receiver 4 c using the subchannels sch2 to sch4.Also, a signal is transmitted from the transmitter 3 a to the receiver 4a using the subchannels sch5 to sch12.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1C, a signal is transmitted from the transmitter3 b to the receiver 4 b using the subchannel sch1. Also, a signal istransmitted from the transmitter 3 b to the receiver 4 c using thesubchannels sch2 to sch4. Also, a signal is transmitted from thetransmitter 3 b to the receiver 4 d using the subchannels sch5 to sch10.Also, a signal is transmitted from the transmitter 3 b to the receiver 4e using the subchannels sch11 and sch12.

Accordingly, in the frequency band of the subchannel sch1, the samesignal is transmitted from the transmitters 3 a and 3 b to the receiver4 b. Also, in the subchannels sch2 to sch4, the same signal istransmitted from the transmitters 3 a and 3 b to the receiver 4 c.

FIG. 2A is a drawing that shows the constitution of an OFDM signal s7that is transmitted from the transmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A). Also, FIG. 2A isa drawing that shows the constitution of an OFDM signal s8 that istransmitted from the transmitter 3 b (FIG. 1A). In these drawings, thevertical axis represents frequency while the horizontal axis representstime.

Regions r5, r7 that are included in the OFDM signals s7, s8 aresubcarriers for propagation path estimation that are constituted by 1OFDM symbol. Note that here a subcarrier for propagation path estimationis described in the case of being constituted by 1 OFDM symbol, but thesubcarrier for propagation path estimation may be constituted by aplurality of OFDM symbols. Also, all of the subcarriers may besubcarriers for propagation path estimation, but an arrangement is alsopossible in which every other subcarrier is a subcarrier for propagationpath estimation.

Also, regions r6, r8 that are included in the OFDM signals s7, s8 areOFDM symbols that transmit data, and are normally constituted by aplurality of OFDM symbols. In the region r5 and the region r7,orthogonal codes C5, C6 that are codes which are respectively orthogonalare allocated to each subcarrier.

FIG. 3 is a diagram that shows the relationship between the allocatedorthogonal codes and the subcarriers in the present embodiment. In thetransmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A), the orthogonal code C5=(1, 1, 1, 1) isrepeatedly allocated to 768 subcarriers. That is, one orthogonal code isrepeatedly allocated to the subcarriers. Also, in the presentembodiment, the number of subcarriers in each group to multiply theorthogonal code is 4. Note that the number of subcarriers per group inone or a plurality of subchannels may be made the same.

Also, in the transmitter 3 b (FIG. 1A), the orthogonal code C6=(1, 1,−1, −1) is repeatedly allocated to 768 subcarriers. By calculatingC5×C6* (* indicates the complex conjugate) and adding, the result iszero, therefore, C5 and C6 are in an orthogonal relationship.

Also, when these orthogonal codes C5, C6 are directly applied to thesubcarriers for propagation path estimation, since the peak-averagepower ratio (PAPR) of the generated OFDM signals becomes extremely high,it is also possible to multiply all of the subcarriers by a samespecified code (for example, a portion of the 10th-order M sequence).

Note that in the case of a code that is allocated to a p^(th) (1≦p≦totalnumber of subcarriers) subcarrier being Ck, Ck′, the codes Ck, Ck′ maybe set such that m, that satisfies the relationshipCk′=Ck×e^(−j×2×p×m×π), exists.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that shows the constitution of the transmitteraccording to the first embodiment of the present invention. Thistransmitter has a scheduling portion 10, propagation path estimationsymbol generating portions 11-1 to 11-12, data mapping portions 12-1 to12-12, multiplex portions 13-1 to 13-12, rotation portions 14-1 to14-12, IFFT portion 15, GI (guard interval) insertion P/S(parallel/serial) conversion portion 16, D/A (digital/analog) converter17, RF (radio frequency) portion 18, and transmitting antenna 19.

The scheduling portion 10 sorts data that is input to the transmitter toeach subchannel. Here, the case of 12 subchannels shall be described.Also, the scheduling portion 10 outputs control signals to the rotationportions 14-1 to 14-12.

The propagation path estimation symbol generating portions 11-1 to 11-12generate symbols for propagation path estimation of each subchannel. Thedata mapping portions 12-1 to 12-12 perform error correction in the datato be transmitted, and perform modulation in every allocated subcarrier.Also, a code allocation portion (not illustrated) of the propagationpath estimation symbol generating portions 11-1 to 11-12 allocates codeof a code length that is orthogonal with another transmitter to everysubcarrier.

The multiplex portions 13-1 to 13-12 select any of the symbols forpropagation path estimation that are input data symbols or knownsymbols.

The rotation portions 14-1 to 14-12 apply rotation to each subcarrierbase on the control signal that is output from the scheduling portion10. The IFFT portion 15 converts the signal of the frequency domain to asignal of the time domain by performing an inverted fast Fouriertransformation on the signals that are output from the rotation portions14-1 to 14-12. Here, in the case of handling 768 subcarriers, the numberof points of the inverted fast Fourier transformation is 1024.

The GI insertion•P/S conversion portion 16 inserts guard intervals forattempting a reduction in inter-symbol interference. Also, it convertsparallel signals to serial signals. The D/A converter 17 convertsdigital signals to analog signals. The RF portion 18 converts analogsignals until a frequency band to be transmitted, and performs waveformreshaping. The transmitting antenna 19 transmits radio waves to areceiver.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the rotation portion 14-1 (FIG. 4)according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Thisrotation portion 14-1 has a rotation amount determining portion 20, andcomplex multiplier portions 21-1 to 21-64.

The rotation amount determining portion 20 determines rotation amountsW1 to W16 for every four subcarriers (each W1 to W16 is a real number ora complex number, and the amplitude thereof is “1”) based on a controlsignal that is output from a scheduling portion 10 (FIG. 4). Note thatthe rotation amount determining portion 20 may perform control so thatthe phase rotation amount difference between adjacent groups is thesame. Also, it may make the phase rotation amount difference betweenadjacent groups within one or a plurality of subchannels the same. Also,one of the groups within a subchannel in which the phase rotation amountdifference is set to be the same may be made a reference group, and theabsolute value of the phase rotation amount of that group may bedetermined based on the propagation path state of the receiver. Also,the rotation amount determining portion 20 may provide a unique phaserotation amount difference to each transmitter, and may provide a phaserotation to the subcarriers of all the OFDM symbols using the rotationamount.

Also, by setting W1=W2, W3=W4, . . . , W15=W16, it is possible to changethe number of subcarriers that generates groups.

The complex multiplier portions 21-1 to 21-64 multiply input signals fk1to fk64 and the rotation amounts W1 to W16. Here, there are inputsignals (fk1 to fk64), because 768 subcarriers are used as 12subchannels, and so the number of subcarriers used per subchannel is 64.Also, the reason for determining the rotation amount (W1 to W16) forevery 4 subcarriers is that it is possible to maintain the orthogonalrelationship by making them identical among the four subcarriers. Thisis because the subcarriers for propagation path estimation are in anorthogonal relationship with the four subcarriers.

Next, the operation of the transmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A) according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention will be described. The signalsthat are transmitted to the receivers 4 b and 4 c are transmitted fromthe transmitter 3 b as well, so a rotation is provided to the signalthat is transmitted from the transmitter 3 a. Here, a description willbe given for the case of the rotation amount of the signal that istransmitted to the receiver 4 b being 1, and rotation amount of thesignal that is transmitted to the receiver 4 c being 2.

When data is input to the transmitter 3 a, the data that is to betransmitted to the receiver 4 b is output to the data mapping portion12-1, the data that is to be transmitted to the receiver 4 c is outputthe data mapping portions 12-2 to 12-4, and the data that is to betransmitted to the receiver 4 a is output from the data mapping portions12-5 to 12-12 by the scheduling portion 10 (FIG. 4).

Prior to the transmission of data, based on the constitution of thesignal of FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the symbol for propagation pathestimation is selected by the multiplex portions 13-1 to 13-12, andoutput to the rotation portions 14-1 to 14-12. In the case of thetransmitter 3 a, the symbols for propagation path estimation that aregenerated by the propagation path estimation symbol generating portions11-1 to 11-12 are those in which the orthogonal code C5 is repeated 16times. The identical orthogonal code C5 is therefore used for all of thepropagation path estimation symbol generating portions 11-1 to 11-12.

A control signal is output from the scheduling portion 10 to therotation portions 14-1 to 14-12, 1 is input as the rotation amount tothe rotation portion 14-1, 2 is input as the rotation amount from therotation portion 14-2 to the rotation portion 14-4, and 0 is input asthe rotation amount from the rotation portion 14-5 to the rotationportion 14-12.

In the rotation portion 14-1 shown in FIG. 5, based on the control codethat is output from the scheduling portion 10, the rotation amounts W1to W16 are determined. In order to realize the case of the rotationamount of m, since the phase rotation amount between each subcarrier maybe 2×π×m/(IFFT point number), the difference between the rotationamounts W1 and W2 is four subcarriers, and so by multiplying by 4, it isdetermined to be 2×π×m×4/1024.

When this is applied to the preceding example, the phase differencebetween Wk and Wk+1 (k is an integer from 1 to 15) in the rotationportion 14-1 is 2×π×4/1024, and the phase difference between Wk and Wk+1in the rotation portions 14-2 to 14-4 is 2×π×2×4/1024, and the phasedifference between Wk and Wk+1 in the rotation portions 14-5 to 14-12 is0.

The absolute phase of the rotation amount W1 of each rotation portion isnot particularly limited.

However, in the case of using a plurality of subchannels such as withthe signal to be transmitted to the receiver 4 c (FIG. 1A), it ispreferable that the rotation amounts of adjacent subchannels are madethe same. That is, the absolute phase difference of the rotation amountW16 of the rotation portion 14-2 and the rotation amount W1 of therotation portion 14-3 is preferably 2×π×2×4/(1024).

Also, in a system that is capable of acquiring information from areceiver, the absolute phase of the rotation amount W1 can be determinedwith reference to the data that is to be transmitted from the receiver.

Then, for the data as well, the identical rotation amount as duringtransmission of the subcarriers for propagation path estimation isprovided to all of the subcarriers.

FIG. 5 shows multipliers for providing the phase rotation in therespective subcarriers that provide the same rotation, but this is inorder to simplify the description. It is possible to decrease thecircuit scale by performing the process serially with one multiplier.

Next, the receiver will be described.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram that shows the constitution of a receiver ofthe first embodiment of the present invention. This receiver has areceiving antenna 30, an RF portion 31, an analog/digital (A/D)converter 32, a symbol synchronizing portion 33, a fast Fouriertransform (FFT) portion 34, a propagation path estimation symbolextraction portion 35, a propagation path compensating portion 36, apropagation path estimating portion 37, a subchannel extraction portion38, and demodulating portions 39-1 to 39-12.

The receiving antenna 30 receives signals that are transmitted from thetransmitter. The RF portion 31 reshapes signals that the receivingantenna 30 has received and lowers the frequency until the frequencyband that can be subject to A/D conversion. The A/D converter 32converts analog signals to digital signals.

The symbol synchronizing portion 33 performs synchronization to the OFDMsignal. The FFT portion 34 performs a fast Fourier transform on thereceived OFDM symbol. The propagation path estimation symbol extractionportion 35 separates the frequency converted OFDM signal from thepropagation path estimation symbol and the data symbol, outputs thepropagation path estimation symbol to the propagation path estimatingportion 37, and outputs the data symbol to the propagation pathcompensating portion 36.

The propagation path compensating portion 36 compensates the datapropagation path based on propagation path estimation information. Thepropagation path estimating portion 37 estimates the propagation pathinformation from the propagation path estimation symbol, and estimatesthe quality of every transmitting antenna. The subchannel extractionportion 38 extracts the signals that the receiver demodulates based onthe subchannel in use of information from a control portion notillustrated.

The demodulating portions 39-1 to 39-12 perform demodulation insubchannel units based on the number of subchannels used. This receiverhas a constitution that once demodulates all bands that are used by theOFDMA, and subsequently extracts only the subchannels that are required,but is not necessarily limited to this constitution.

FIG. 7 is a lineblock diagram of the propagation path estimating portion37 (FIG. 6) according to the first embodiment of the present invention.The propagation path estimating portion 37 has reverse spreadingportions 40-1 to 40-12, 41-1 to 41-12, subchannel quality estimatingportions 42-1 to 42-12, 43-1 to 43-12, a selecting/combining portion 44,subchannel quality estimating portions 45-1 to 45-12, and virtualsubchannel quality estimating portions 46-1 to 46-12.

The reverse spreading portions are provided in two pair (reversespreading portions 40-1 to 40-12, and reverse spreading portions 41-1 to41-12) because signals are transmitted from the two transmitters 3 a and3 b (FIG. 1A).

The reverse spreading portions 40-1 to 40-12 estimate the propagationpaths of signals that are transmitted from the transmitter 3 a (FIG.1A). The reverse spreading portions 41-1 to 41-12 estimate thepropagation paths of signals that are transmitted from the transmitter 3b (FIG. 1A). The complex signals that are obtained by the reversespreading portions 40-1 to 40-12, 41-1 to 41-12 are input to theselecting/combining portion 44.

The selecting/combining portion 44 selects the reverse spreading resulton the transmitting side in the case that the communication currentlyperformed is in use of only one transmitter (the receivers 4 a, 4 d, 4 ein FIG. 1A). If the receiver 4 a is in use, it selects the output of thereverse spreading portions 40-1 to 40-12. If the receivers 4 d, 4 e arein use, it selects the output of the reverse spreading portions 41-1 to41-12.

By contrast, in a receiver that receives signals from both thetransmitters 3 a, 3 b in the manner of the receivers 4 b, 4 c (FIG. 1A),the selecting/combining portion 44 performs combining of the signalsthat are received. This is achieved by vector addition of the outputs ofthe reverse spreading portions 40-1 to 40-12 and the reverse spreadingportions 41-1 to 41-12.

The subchannel quality estimating portions 42-1 to 42-12 estimate thequality of the signals that are transmitted from the respectivetransmitters 3 a, 3 b based on the output of the reverse spreadingportions 40-1 to 40-12. Also, the subchannel quality estimating portions43-1 to 43-12 estimate the quality of the signals that are transmittedfrom the respective transmitters 3 a, 3 b based on the output of thereverse spreading portions 41-1 to 41-12. In the case of the presentembodiment, the propagation path estimation result of the 64 subcarriersused by each subchannel are input to the subchannel quality estimatingportions 42-1 to 42-12, 43-1 to 43-12.

The subchannel quality estimating portions 45-1 to 45-12 perform qualityestimation after the combination of the signals transmitted from thetransmitters 3 a, 3 b (FIG. 1A) based on the output of theselecting/combining portion 44.

The virtual subchannel quality estimating portions 46-1 to 46-12 provideeither rotation to the propagation path information in the case ofhaving received the subcarriers for propagation path estimation in whichrotation has not been added at the transmitter side, and estimates thequality of the subchannel in the case of the rotation being performed.Thereby, it is possible to request the optimum subchannel from thereceiver.

The simplest method of propagation path estimation methods is a methodof multiplying a complex conjugate signal of a code for each subcarrierof the subcarriers for propagation path estimation used on thetransmitter side with respect to the signals in which the receivedsubcarriers for propagation path estimation are frequency converted.However, since orthogonal codes are here used between the transmittingantennas that differ between the subcarriers for propagation pathestimation, the description is given for the method of propagation pathestimation by reverse spreading.

FIG. 8 is a lineblock diagram of the reverse spreading portion 40-1(FIG. 7) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Thereverse spreading portion 40-1 has orthogonal code setting portions 47-1to 47-4, complex multipliers 48-1 to 48-4, and a sum calculation portion49.

For example, in the case of performing a reverse spreading of thesubcarriers for propagation path estimation that are transmitted fromthe transmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A), (1, 1, 1, 1) which is the complexconjugate of the orthogonal code C1 is set in the orthogonal codesetting portion 47-1. Also, in the case of performing a reversespreading of the subcarriers for propagation path estimation that aretransmitted from the transmitter 3 b, (1, 1, −1, −1) which is thecomplex conjugate of the orthogonal code C2 is set in the orthogonalcode setting portion 47-2.

In the complex multipliers 48-1 to 48-4, these orthogonal codes arecomplex multiplied by the input signals f1 to f4, and by adding anddividing by 4 in the sum calculation portion 49, it is possible toobtain the propagation path in this frequency band.

As stated above, in the case of constituting an OFDM communicationsystem using the transistor and receiver of this embodiment, it ispossible to simply demodulate a transmitted signals from both withoutnotifying information of the rotation amount that is used on thetransmitter side or determining it in advance. Also, since thesubcarriers for propagation path estimation maintain orthogonality, itis possible to simply perform quality estimation for each subchannelfrom each transmitting antenna or quality estimation after combining.Also, by providing a function in the receiver that virtually estimatesthe quality of each subchannel after combining, it is possible toaccurately start reception when starting the combined reception.

The aforementioned first embodiment discloses the transmitter that usesthe OFDMA system which utilizes a frequency band that is constituted bya plurality of subchannels. The transmitter allocates, to each of nsubcarriers (where n is an integer of 1 or more), code Ck of code lengthMk that is orthogonal with another transmitter by a code allocatingportion of propagation path estimation symbol generating portions 11-1to 11-12. The transmitter performs grouping n×Mk subcarriers by complexmultiplier portions 21-1 to 21-64 (phase rotating portions), gives thesame phase rotation to every group, determines the phase rotation amountin subchannel units by the rotation amount determining portion 20, anddetermines the existence of phase rotation in subchannel units by thescheduling portion 10.

By adopting such a constitution, in the case of using the OFDMA system,by allocating code that is orthogonal with each of the subcarriers ofone group with the rotation amount determining portion 20, it ispossible to maintain the orthogonality of each group. Therefore, it ispossible to prevent deterioration in the reception quality of thereceiver due to interference of subcarriers between groups. Also, sincethe orthogonal code is allocated to every group, compared to the case oforthogonal code being allocated to every subcarrier, it is possible tosimplify the processing on the receiver side.

Note that the transmitter may also be a transmitter that uses the OFDMsystem, with the transmitter allocating, to each of n subcarriers (wheren is an integer of 1 or more), code Ck of code length Mk that isorthogonal with another transmitter by a code allocating portion ofpropagation path estimation symbol generating portions 11-1 to 11-12,grouping n×Mk subcarriers by complex multiplier portions 21-1 to 21-64(phase rotating portions). The transmitter may provide the same phaserotation to every group, determine the phase rotation amount by therotation amount determining portion 20, and determine the existence ofphase rotation in subchannel units by the scheduling portion 10.

By adopting such a constitution, in the case of using the OFDM system,it is possible to attach a delay difference to signals that aretransmitted from a plurality of transmitters since a rotation amountthat is different from a group that another transmitter transmits isallocated to a group by the rotation amount determining portion 20, andso it is possible to obtain a multi-user diversity effect and afrequency diversity effect.

Note that here since the example of allocating code of code length Mk aspropagation path estimating code to each of n subcarriers was shown, agroup that provided the same phase rotation is made to be n×Mk, but inthe case of using a propagation path estimating method that does notutilize orthogonality, this kind of limitation is not required in orderto obtain the abovementioned effect. In such a case, subcarriers ofanother number may be set as 1 group without making n×Mk subcarriers 1group.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Itis one that allows further simplification of the constitution of thereceiver with respect to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram that shows the constitution of a subcarrier forpropagation path estimation in the second embodiment of the presentinvention. In this embodiment, the subcarrier for propagation pathestimation, which is a subcarrier in which symbols for propagation pathestimation are arranged, is allocated at every other subcarrier. Asubcarrier in which a subcarrier for propagation path estimation is notallocated is used for communication of control signals (SA1 to SA384,SB1 to SB384). Also, specific known symbols (P1 to P384) are used forthe symbols for propagation path estimation, and orthogonal codes (1, 1,1, 1), (1, 1, −1, −1) are respectively multiplied by the known symbolsin the transmitters 3 a, 3 b.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram that shows the transmitter according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention. Portions that have the sameconstitution as the transmitter (FIG. 4) shown in the first embodimentare denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereofshall therefore be omitted. The transmitter of the present embodimentdiffers from the transmitter according to the first embodiment on thepoint of having a control signal generating portion 50.

The control signal generating portion 50 is provided because theconstitution of the subcarrier for propagation path estimation wasaltered. Also, the propagation path estimation symbol generating portionwas described in the first embodiment as generating symbols for everysubchannel. However, in the present embodiment, because the case of notproviding rotation in subchannel units is indicated, the propagationpath estimation symbol generating portions 11-1 to 11-12 (FIG. 4) areconstituted by a single propagation path estimation symbol generatingportion 111. Similarly, the multiplex portions 13-1 to 13-12 (FIG. 4)are constituted by a single multiplex portion 131. Also, the rotationportions 14-1 to 14-12 (FIG. 4) are constituted by a single rotationportion 141.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of the rotation portion 141 (FIG. 10)according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Therotation portion 141 has a rotation amount determining portion 201, andcomplex multiplier portions 211-1 to 211-8, 211-9 to 211-16 to 211-761to 211-768.

The rotation amount determining portion 201 determines rotation amountsW1 to W96 (W1 to W96 being a real number of 1 or a complex number) forevery eight subcarriers based on a rotation amount that is defined bythe OFDM communication system.

The complex multiplier portions 211-1 to 211-768 multiply input signalsfk1 to fk768 and the rotation amounts W1 to W96. For example, assumingthat the difference of each phase rotation amount W1 to W96 in therotation portion 141 of the receiver shown in FIG. 11 is 0, and thedifference of the phase rotation amount of the transmitter 3 b (FIG. 1A)is 2×π×1×8/1024, when the same signal is transmitted by the samesubchannel of each transmitter 3 a, 3 b, it is possible to receive acombined signal by the receiver.

Also, since the orthogonality of the subcarrier for propagation pathestimation is maintained similarly to the first embodiment, in additionto being capable of performing quality estimation or each subchannel ofthe transmitter, it is also possible to perform quality estimation aftercombining. That is, it is not necessary to provide the virtualsubchannel quality estimating portions 46-1 to 46-12 (FIG. 7) describedin the receiver according to the first embodiment. It is thereforepossible to simply estimate the quality of each transmitter beforecombining and the quality after combining.

In the case of applying this system to a base station of a cell thatconstitutes a sector, if the rotation amount is made to respectivelydiffer for each sector, it is possible to readily estimate the qualityof every subchannel from each sector and the quality after combining inany sector edge.

In the present embodiment, however, there is a possibility of therotation amount being fixed to each transmitter. When there is onerotation amount, it does not necessarily mean it is possible to providethe multi-user diversity effect to all receivers.

This problem can be solved by using a signal that has the constitutionshown in FIG. 12. In FIG. 12, the horizontal axis denotes time and thevertical axis denotes frequency. A constitution of 1 frame is the sameas the constitution of the frame already described (FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B),and is constituted at the front by the subcarrier for propagation pathestimation that is a known symbol, followed by a plurality of datasymbols. FIG. 12 shows the case of constituting one super frame withnine frames F1 to F9.

As one example, the case of setting the difference of the rotationamounts of two transmitters to 1, 2, and 3 will be described. When therotation amount of the transmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A) is always set to 0, bysetting the rotation amount in the frames F1 to F3 to 1, the rotationamount in the frames F4 to F6 to 2, and the rotation amount in theframes F7 to F9 to 3, it is possible to realize three rotation amountdifferences.

In the receiver, by selecting a suitable frame from these frames and asubchannel, it is possible to realize a high-performance OFDMcommunication system.

Also, when the aforementioned rotation amount is increased, it ispossible to expect a frequency diversity effect for that frame. Asstated above, when the rotation amounts that are set to 1, 2, 3 are setto 1, 2, 16, so that the rotation amount of the frames F1 to F4 is setto 1, the rotation amount of the frames F5 to F8 to 2, and the rotationamount of the frame F9 to 16, it is possible to expect the frequencydiversity effect only for the frame F9. Therefore, in receivers in whichthe reception quality is extremely bad, and receivers that move fast, bysetting so as to preferentially allocate to that frame, it is possibleto improve the performance of the entire area.

Also, since it is possible to maintain the orthogonality by multiplyingorthogonal code by each subcarrier that is divided into groups,deterioration due to interference of signals that are transmitted from aplurality of transmitters is eliminated, and it is possible to improvethe propagation path estimation accuracy.

The receiver that is used in the second embodiment can use nearly thesame constitution as the receiver used in the first embodiment (FIG. 6).The point of difference is the code that is set to the reverse spreadingbeing one that multiplies a complex conjugate of Pk (where k is aninteger from 1 to 768) by C1 or C2.

Third Embodiment

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.Although limitations to the orthogonal code used were not added in thefirst embodiment and the second embodiment, the present embodiment willdescribe the case of adding limitations to the orthogonal code used toenable a receiver that moves between transmitters to rapidly performhandover.

In the OFDM communication system of the present embodiment, byrepeatedly allocating the code C1 to all of the subcarriers andperforming 256 sample rotations, (1, j, −1, −j) repeatedly appears atall of the subcarriers. This is made code C12. Also, by similarlyrotating 512 times, it becomes (1, −1, 1, −1), and this is made codeC13. Also, for 768 rotations, it becomes (1, −j, j, −1), and this ismade code C14.

Also, when C1=C11, C11 to C14 are all in an orthogonal relationship. Thecase of using these codes in the present embodiment shall be described.

In the latter of the examples of constituting the super frame in thesecond embodiment described above, the orthogonal code used in thetransmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A) is C11, and the orthogonal code that is usedin the transmitter 3 b (FIG. 1A) is C12. However, in the secondembodiment, since data is inserted between the carriers used in thesubcarriers for propagation path estimation, the rotation amount becomeshalf the previously indicated value.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram that shows the constitution of thetransmitter according to the third embodiment of the present invention.Portions that have the same constitution as the transmitter (FIG. 10)shown in the second embodiment are denoted by the same referencenumerals, and descriptions thereof will therefore be omitted. Thetransmitter of the present embodiment differs from the transmitter (FIG.10) according to the second embodiment on the point of having a timerotation portion 60.

The time rotation portion 60 rotates the signal that is output from theIFFT portion 15. Also, the scheduling portion 10 controls whether or notthe rotation portion 141 and the time rotation portion 60 are driven. Inthe super frame that is constituted by nine frames, the operation is thesame as that of the second embodiment until the eighth frame and untilthe subcarrier for propagation path estimation of the ninth frame. Thenin the data portion of the ninth frame, the driving of the rotationportion 141 is stopped and the time rotation portion 60 is driven.

In the transmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A) the time rotation is set to 0, and inthe transmitter 3 b the time rotation is set to 128. Due to thisoperation, the rotation amounts of the data symbol and the propagationpath estimation symbol that is a known symbol of the respectivetransmitters agree. When the same data is transmitted from thetransmitters in this frame, it is possible to obtain a pseudopropagation path as shown in FIG. 14C, and the frequency diversityeffect is therefore obtained. FIG. 14A is the propagation path of thetransmitter 3 a (FIG. 1A), and FIG. 14B is the propagation path of thetransmitter 3 b (FIG. 1A).

The receiver that receives this frame does not have a constitution ofreverse spreading, and performs conventional demodulation of a type thatmultiplies a complex conjugate of a subcarrier for propagation pathestimation. This is because, since the propagation path estimationsymbol is basically generated from the same code, all of the datasymbols including the propagation path estimation symbol become the samedata.

By using a special code for this orthogonal code, it is possible torealize handover without the receiver being aware of it even when thereceiver is moving between transmitters.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram that shows the constitution of the receiveraccording to the third embodiment of the present invention. Portionsthat have the same constitution as the receiver (FIG. 6) of the firstembodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptionsthereof will therefore be omitted. The receiver of the present inventiondiffers from the receiver according to the first embodiment on the pointof having a propagation path estimating portion 70.

The propagation path estimating portion 70 finds a propagation path bymultiplying data of the reception frequency of the subcarrier forpropagation path estimation by the complex conjugate of the code thatwas used for generating the propagation path estimation symbols. Also,since it is not necessary to measure the power of each subchannel in theframe for frequency diversity, this frame only measures the propagationpath and demodulates the data.

Note that it is acceptable to provide in the receiver an FFT portion 34that performs frequency conversion by a fast Fourier transform onreceived OFDM symbols in which known symbols are contained. The receivermay have a quality estimating portion (not illustrated) that estimatesthe quality of radio waves at each antenna besides the propagation pathestimating portion 37 that estimates with respect to a plurality ofantennas a propagation path that is the frequency response with atransmitting antenna in known symbol units that maintain theorthogonality on transmitter side. The receiver may also have and aquality calculating portion (not illustrated) that calculates thequality of combined propagation paths in the case of providing apredetermined phase rotation to the subcarrier of the OFDM symbol thatis transmitted from each antenna from the radio wave quality of eachantenna.

The first through third embodiments disclose transmitters that use theOFDMA system which utilizes a frequency band that is constituted by aplurality of subchannels. The transmitters give the same phase rotationto each of the groups configured with a plurality of consecutivesubcarriers modulated by a data symbol or a known symbol by complexmultiplier portions 21-1 to 21-64, or 211-1 to 211-768 (phase rotatingportions), determine the phase rotation amount in subchannel units bythe rotation amount determining portion 20 or the rotation amountdetermining portion 201, and determine the existence of phase rotationin subchannel units by the scheduling portion 10.

By adopting this constitution, it is possible to perform the process ofproviding rotation to a subchannel in which a symbol for propagationpath estimation that is a known symbol is mounted, and not providerotation to a subchannel in which a data symbol is mounted by therotation amount determining portion 20. Therefore, the transmitter isnot required to provide rotation to all subchannels, and so it istherefore possible to lighten the load of the transmitter.

Note that the transmitter that uses the OFDM system may give the samephase rotation amount to each of the groups configured by a plurality ofconsecutive subcarriers modulated by a data symbol or a known symbol bycomplex multiplier portions 211-1 to 211-768 (phase rotating portions),determine the phase rotation amount by the rotation amount determiningportion 20 or the rotation amount determining portion 201, and determinethe existence of phase rotation in subchannel units by the schedulingportion 10.

By adopting such a constitution, in the case of using the OFDM system,since it is possible to give the phase rotation to subcarriers dividedinto a plurality of groups, there is no need to perform a receivingprocess for each subcarrier, and so it is possible to lighten the burdenof the processing on the receiver side.

Note that control of the transmitter and receiver may be performed byrecording on a computer-readable recording medium a program forrealizing the functions of the scheduling portion 10, the propagationpath estimation symbol generating portions 11-1 to 11-12, 111, the datamapping portions 12-1 to 12-12, the multiplex portions 13-1 to 13-12,131, the rotation portions 14-1 to 14-12, 141, the IFFT portion 15, theGI insertion P/S conversion portion 16, the D/A converter 17, the RFportion 18, the control signal generating portion 50, the time rotationportion 60 of FIG. 4, FIG. 10, and FIG. 13, the RF portion 31, the A/Dconverter 32, the symbol synchronizing portion 33, the FFT portion 34,the propagation path estimation symbol extraction portion 35, thepropagation path compensating portion 36, the propagation pathestimating portion 37, the subchannel extraction portion 38, anddemodulating portions 39-1 to 39-12, reading the program that isrecorded on the recording medium into a computer system, and executingit. Note that “computer system” here refers to one that includes anoperating system and hardware such as peripheral equipment.

Also, a “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a portable mediumsuch as a flexible disk, magneto-optical disk, ROM, CD-ROM and the like,and a storage device such as a hard disk that is housed in a computersystem. The “computer readable storage medium” also includes one forholding the program for a certain time, such as a volatile memory in acomputer system which functions as a server or client for receiving theprogram sent via a network (e.g., the Internet) or a communication line(e.g., a telephone line). Also, the program may be one for realizing aportion of the abovementioned functions, and it is also possible torealize the abovementioned functions in combination with a program thathas already been stored in the computer system.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated above, specific constitutions are not limited to theseembodiments, and designs are also included with a scope that do notdepart from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention can be applied to a receiver employing an OFDMsystem.

1. A receiver employing an OFDM system which uses a frequency band thatis constituted by a plurality of subchannels, and receiving a signaladded a phase rotation which is made to respectively differ for eachtransmission antennas of transmitter and transmitted from thetransmission antennas, comprising: a virtual subchannel qualityestimating portion which estimates the quality of a propagation path inthe case of same phase rotation is added to signal transmitted fromtransmitter, each group configured with a plurality of consecutivesubcarriers.
 2. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein the virtualsubchannel quality estimating portion estimates the quality of thepropagation path with respect to each the subchannel.